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THE BATTLE FOR VENICE
For years, the Los Angeles beachside community of Venice has been a magnet for the so-called "vehicular homeless." These are people who park in residential and commercial neighborhoods and live long term in their recreational vehicles, vans and cars. The motor-homeless say they have no place else to go and only want to be left alone. But many Venice residents contend the vehicle dwellers are turning their community into skidrow by the sea. KCET Venice Beach Grapples with In June, the Coastal Commission will hold a hearing on L.A.'s plan to create no-overnight -parking zones. Residents and business owners want them; vehicle-dwelling homeless wonder where they would go. By Robert J. Lopez Paige Clay and Eveline Popp are on two sides
of a long- simmering controversy in the pricey neighborhoods near Venice Beach. In June, the California Coastal Commission is scheduled to take public testimony before deciding whether to approve a city proposal to establish five overnight parking districts in and near Venice that would prevent people from sleeping in their vehicles. The meeting will take place June 11 at the Marina del Rey Hotel 13534 Bali Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292 The Westside district has become a magnet
for people who live in their cars and campers. Indeed, on a recent afternoon, Clay served
customers at her Flake
cafe while two battered RVs and an old bus and camper sat across the street. "We call
Rose Avenue 'Skid Rose' because there are so many homeless people," said Clay,
referring to downtown's shabby skid row district. "I deal with the problem of
homelessness and RV parking every day of my life." LAPD Sweep
Homeless
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 Custom Search ______________________ NEW PETITION TO RESTORE FREE SPEECH @ VENICE BEACH! Commercial vending, in the guise of First Amendment activities, proliferates in the Free Speech Zone (FSZ) on the world- renowned Venice Beach Boardwalk, a protected public forum, leading to ruthless competition for space and location. Many of the original Free Speech activities such as those operated by nonprofit organizations, churches, political activists, performers and artists have been squeezed out in a hostile takeover by commercial vendors. The FSZ is becoming a commercial zone, if this continues we will lose our public space FOREVER. We cannot allow this to happen, please sign this petition to tell the Los Angeles City Attorney, "Rocky" Delgadillo, Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Council member, Bill Rosendahl, to restore the First Amendment in the FSZ and remove ALL commercial vending ASAP! WILL TRUTANICH RESTORE THE FIRST AMENDMENT IN THE FREE SPEECH ZONE? Jack Weiss, a Los Angeles City Council member lost his bid to replace "Rocky" Delgadillo as City Attorney. Instead, Carmen Trutanich who grew up in the South Los Angeles town of San Pedro, won the election.
It remains to be seen as to whether Tru will be true to Venice boardwalk's Free Speech Zone (FSZ) which has deteriorated over the past few years following several lawsuits that served to line the pockets of attorneys Steven Rohde and Carol Sobel and their clients, to the tune of almost $1 million, but did nothing to get rid of the commercial vending problem. Meanwhile, the FSZ languishes in a commercial swamp destined to ultimately destroy what is left of out Ist Amendment rights on the boardwalk. What a SHAME that two top consitutional lawyers sold out the First Amendment for a payout that could never equal the priceless value of our free speech rights which are evaporating at an alarming rate, possibly, never to return.
A prescient image from Jack Weiss'
visit to Venice during Mayor Villaraigosa's 2005 election day swing through Venice. A
sitting city councilmember Weiss lost his campaign to become city attorney on Tuesday, May
19. More vs City of Los Angeles A lawsuit filed by Michael Hunt ("The Butter Man") and Matthew Dowd (Pacific Breeze Incense") claiming First Amendment violations in the Free Speech Zone on Venice boardwalk has finally borne fruit! In brief: Judge Dean Pregerson ruled in a 49 page document that Hunt and Dowd were "commercial vendors" and that LAMC 42.15 (2004) was unconstitutional, while LAMC 42.15 (2006) was not. However, Michael Hunt went on to claim damages for his 20 arrests or more by LAPD in 2005, for which he was awarded a whopping $264,000 by a jury of his peers. Meanwhile, his attorney, Steve Rohde, will be submitting a bill to the City for a little under $300,000! If you add it up, that's almost $600,000 of taxpayers' money spent by the City to pay for their stupidity. Then, if you take into account the $92,000 received by attorney Carol Sobel in her settlement with the City for her first "Food Not Bombs" lawsuit, on behalf of Peggy Lee Kennedy et al, plus the additional $250,000 settlement for Carol Sobel's second "Food Not Bombs" lawsuit, again on behalf of Peggy Lee Kennedy et al, you have another whopping total of approximately $350,000 of taxpayers' money spent by the City, since March 1, 2005, again, for their stupidity. Add it all together and you get a sum totalling almost $1,000,000 of taxpayers' money spent by the City for their gross mismanagement!!! Meanwhile, Venice boardwalk continues to host a majority of commercial vendors in the Free Speech Zone. It appears that neither Steve Rhode or Carol Sobel thought to defend the intergrity of the "free speech" part of the "zone" which is now morphing into a full on commercial zone ~ right on target with the City's plan, along with the upscale real estate development that is insinuating itself into the Venice boardwalk landscape. Where is the justice in all this? There is none because the attorneys in question have obviously sold out to the highest bid and no longer care about the First Amendment on Venice Boardwalk. More to follow as things develop... |
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